The Lion Monument (in German "Löwendenkmal"), also known as the Lion of Lucerne, is a sculpture designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.
Karl Pfyffer von Altishofen took the initiative to create the monument. He was an officer of the Guard who had been on leave in Lucerne at that time of the fight.
The monument is dedicated to the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss (Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti). The dying lion is portrayed impaled by a spear, covering a shield bearing the fleur-de-lis of the French monarchy, beside him is another shield bearing the coat of arms of Switzerland. The inscription below the sculpture lists the names of the officers, and approximate numbers of the soldiers who died (DCCLX = 760), and survived (CCCL = 350).
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